Improvement in chromatic key-boards



!mpr0vement in Chromatic Key Boards.

No. 322,584, Patentedlan.9,1872= UNITED STATES HARRISON DOWNES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN CHROMATIC KEY-BOARDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 122,584, dated January 9, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRISON Downns, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Chromatic Key Board for Musical Instruments; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing which accompanies and forms a part of this specification, in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my chromatic key-board. Figs. 2, 3, 4., 5, 6, are views of parts detached. Figs. 7, 8, 9 are vertical sections of parts.

Similarletters of reference indicate like p arts.

This invention relates to a new and improved device for playing sharps and flats upon the keys of the natural scale; and consists of an arrangement of the keys with a triple projection corresponding to the note appropriate to the key and the sharp and flat of the same, so arranged that when either of the projections is in position, the key being struck, that projection communicates with the corresponding note, producing a sharp,flat, or natural, as the case may be, (only one of the projections is in place at the same time;) also a grooved roller for throwing the projections into and out of position. The roller being turned into position for any desired key throws the projections of each key into position throughout the keyboard, connecting all the keys required by that particular scale with the appropriate sharps or flats. This device is simple, inexpensive, and efficient, enabling the performer to play any music written in the most difficult or unusual keys upon the natural key, thus vastly simplifying the art of instrumental music and entirely dispensing with the long and tedious practice otherwise necessary to acquire proficiency in all the keys.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the key-board as arranged with this device, part of one octave being removed to show the position of the roller A. A, Fig. 2, is an enlarged view of a part of the roller for actuating a single octave, the mechanism for each octave being the same. It consists of a shaft, A, upon which is turned twelve grooves,.c 0, corresponding to the twelve tones of the chromatic scale. This roller is laid off into eight or more longitudinal parts, the grooves in each part being arranged with reference to some particular key. Thus, in the first longitudinal section, all the grooves are left open, giving the natural key. In the second section, being, 0. 1., the key of one sharp, the groove on the right of the key F of each octave is filled, and a corresponding groove, 0, at the left, midway of the two original grooves, is opened; and so of each section, the grooves being closed at the right of each key to be sharped, and at the left of those to be flatted. M, Fig. 3, is a side view of one of the keys, showing the construction of the projections. A is a cross-section of the roller passing through a hole in the key. f is a lever, pivoted at g and pointed at 71, the point projecting into the cavity 0 0. Its base is turned out to cover the peg of the sharp or a false key corresponding thereto. A similar lever is fixed on the other side (when needed) to connect with the flat. A third lever passes through a slit in the middle of the key to connect with the natural note. The black keys, Fig. l, are similarly provided with levers, varied in position, to allow them to pass within the levers of the white keys.

The roller being thus arranged and the keys being placed in position the actionis as follows: The roller is tin'ned by the wheel S so that the first section is under the points of the levers. The grooves on the right and left being open the levers on the sides of the keys enter them and allow the bases of the levers to rise out of the way of the pins or false keys connecting with the sharps and flats 5 at the same time the points of the middle levers are raised and their bases depressed, so that when a key is struck it gives its natural note. To play in the key of one sharp, c. g., the roller is turned until the second section is under the lever points, when the grooves on the right of the key F of the scale being filled raises its point and, at the same time, the groove at the left allows the middle lever to rise out of the way so that the keybein g struck gives the corresponding sharp. The sharp is at the same time disconnected from its own note and connected with the natnral; this enables the performer to play accidenta-ls.

Where great delicacy of movement is desired the keys may work on a horizontal pivot above, nearly or quite on a line with the lever points, thus reducing the motion and consequent friction about them to a minimum. An equivalent motion horizontally may be imparted to the projections by the roller acting upon lips 11. n of the slide K, Fig. 8, carrying the projection into and out of position, as before.

Figs. 7 and 9 show modifications of this device to adapt it to the keys of a piano.

M the key Fig. 7, is divided into two parts, pivoted at 1", the projections being thrown into position by the slide or lever motion communicated by the grooved roller, as before; or

the extremity P of the slide 0, Fig. 9, may be connected directly with the trip, throwing it into and out of connection with the hammer.

Having described my invention and its operation, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The combination of the roller A with the lever f, or its equivalent, the slide is carrying the projection Z, constructed and operating substantially as and for the purpose specified.

HARRISON DOWN ES.

Witnesses:

OHAs. I. BUSHNELL, G. F. BUSHNELL. (102) 

